Containing fluid leaks on additive pumps

ABSTRACT

A sealed connection device configured to connect a pump head with a pump on an additive pump. The sealed connection device may comprise an adapter and a sealing collar that inserts into the adapter. The sealing collar may comprise a body with a bore forming open ends, a shoulder disposed between the open ends, an annular detent adjacent the shoulder, annular grooves, one being disposed on the shoulder two others found on either side of the shoulder, and o-rings disposed in the annular grooves. The pump may couple with a first side of the adapter, the pump comprising a shaft that inserts in the bore of the sealing collar. The pump head may insert into a second side of the adapter so as to contact one of o-rings on the sealing collar.

BACKGROUND

Additive pumps enjoy wide use in heavy industries. These devices areknown to incorporate into larger injection stations that couple withconduit (e.g., pipes, pipelines, etc.), for example, as part of oil &gas extraction and distribution networks. The injection station is meantto provide substances (e.g., chemicals, lubricants, etc.) into fluidthat transits the conduit. Some of these substances (or “additives”) maypose a hazard to areas that surrounds the injection area. It follows,then, that precautions are necessary to contain the additives to avoidleaks or spills from the injection stations and its piece parts,including the additive pump.

SUMMARY

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to improvements in additivepumps to address these concerns. Of particular interest are embodimentsthat prevent leaks of additive from around a shaft that, nominally,reciprocates to accurately disperse fluid from a pump head, but theconcepts may find use with rotating shafts as well. The embodiments caninclude an adapter that interposes between the pump and the pump head. Acollar with a pair of radial seals, typically face seals or lip seals,may reside in the adapter. This collar is configured to contain additivethat migrates past, for example, one of the radial seal. A drain mayallow the additive to re-circulate back into operative plumbing of thepump station, thus avoiding leaks that could potentially contaminateareas around the injection station.

DRAWINGS

Reference is now made briefly to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a sealed connection device as partof a pump;

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic diagram of the sealed connection device ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of exemplary structure for the sealedconnection device of FIG. 1 in exploded form;

FIG. 4 depicts an elevation view of the side, cross-section of part ofthe structure for the sealed connection device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 depicts an elevation view of the side, cross-section of part ofthe structure for the sealed connection device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 depicts an elevation view of the side, cross-section of thesealed connection device of FIG. 3 in assembled form;

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of exemplary structure for the pump ofFIG. 1 that includes the sealed connection device of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 8 depicts an elevation view of the side, cross-section of the pumpof FIG. 7.

Where applicable, like reference characters designate identical orcorresponding components and units throughout the several views, whichare not to scale unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments disclosedherein may include elements that appear in one or more of the severalviews or in combinations of the several views. Moreover, methods areexemplary only and may be modified by, for example, reordering, adding,removing, and/or altering the individual stages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The discussion that follows describes embodiments of a device thatconnects a pump head with a pump. This arrangement is typical ofconstruction found at an additive pump or pump station. But it'spossible that the concepts could translate to other types of devicesthat are in need of similar features as well. In this regard, the deviceuses a two-piece design. A first piece connects the pump head with thepump. A second piece inserts into the first piece. This second piece isconfigured to extend into the pump head, for example, outside of thefirst piece so as to position an o-ring (or like sealing member) incontact with the pump head. Other embodiments are within the scope ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts, schematically, an exemplary embodiment of a sealedconnection device 100. The embodiment is shown as part of a pump,identified generally by the numeral 10. Examples of the pump 10 may havea pump head 12 that couples with a conduit 14 that carries material 16.The pump head 12 may also couple with a supply 18 that provides anadditive 20. The pump 10 may include a motive unit 22, possibly anelectric motor or a pneumatic cylinder. A shaft 24 may couple with themotive unit 22. The shaft 24 may extend through the sealed connectiondevice 100 to locate its end proximate the pump head 12. In operation,the motive unit 22 moves the shaft 24 to operate the pump head 12 todisperse the additive 20 into the conduit 14. The sealed connectiondevice 100 may form a sealed interface 102 with the pump head 12. On itsinside, the sealed connection device 100 may form a sealed region 103 tocontain leaks of additive 20 that may migrate down the shaft 24 (towardthe motive unit 22).

Broadly, the sealed connection device 100 may simplify construction ofthe pump 10. To date, practice in the field prescribes devices withmultiple pieces to support and seal reciprocating shafts in additivepumps. The sealed interface 102 and sealed region 103 are constructed tooffer a unique solution that replaces these pieces with a single, robustmember. This feature may effectively reduce manufacturing costs and, atthe same time, prolong operating life of the seals.

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic diagram of an example of structure for thesealed connection device 100 of FIG. 1 to facilitate the sealedinterface 102. This structure includes a sealed collar 104 that residesin an adapter 106 that is useful to couple the pump head 12 to themotive unit 22. The sealed collar 104 can receive and support the shaft24 as it reciprocates under load from the motive unit 22. At the sealedinterface 102, the sealed collar 104 extends into the pump head 12. Theadapter 106 may also receive part of the pump head 12 to form anoverlapping region 110, where structure of these components mesh or matewith one another. This configuration forms a direct seal 108 betweensealed collar 104 and the pump head 12.

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of exemplary structure for the sealedconnection device 100 in exploded form. Starting on the left-hand sideof the diagram, the sealing collar 104 may have a collar body 112, shownhere as an elongate cylinder or with cylindrical form factor that can befashioned as a single piece of material or, otherwise, of unitary ormonolithic design. The collar body 112 may have a through-bore 114 thatforms a longitudinal axis 116 and a pair of open ends (e.g., a firstopen end 118 and a second open end 120). The collar body 112 may alsohave an outer surface 122 with a stepped profile 124 defined by adimension D₁ (, for example, a diameter for cylinders or annularpieces,) as measured from the longitudinal axis 116. In oneimplementation, the stepped profile 124 may form at least one shoulder126 that separates the outer surface 122 into two regions (e.g., a firstregion 128 and a second region 130). The diameter D₁ in the regions 128,130 is smaller than the diameter D₁ at the shoulder 126. Grooves 132that circumscribe the longitudinal axis 116 may populate the outersurface 122 of the collar body 116, including at the shoulder 126 and inthe regions 128, 130. In addition, the collar body 116 may include anannular detent 134, shown here in the second region 130 and adjacent theshoulder 126. One or more apertures 136 may reside in the annular detent134. The apertures 136 may be spaced annularly apart from one anotherabout the longitudinal axis 116.

The sealing collar 104 may be configured with one or more components sothat fluid cannot migrate out of the device. These components mayinclude annular seals 138 like elastomeric o-rings (e.g., a first o-ring140, a second o-ring 142, and a third o-ring 144). On either end 118,120, the collar body 112 may accommodate radial seals (e.g., a firstradial seal 146 and a second radial seal 148). The o-rings 140, 142, 144may assemble into the grooves 132 so as to circumscribe the collar body112. Examples of the radials seals 146, 148 may engage with the shaft 24but allow for moveable contact so that the shaft 24 can reciprocate (orrotate) along the longitudinal axis 116 as noted herein.

The adapter 106 may be configured to receive the sealing collar 104.This configuration may have an adapter body 150. This piece may also befashioned unitarily with a cylindrical form factor. The adapter body 150may have a through-bore 152 that forms a longitudinal axis 154 and openends (e.g., a first open end 156 and a second open end 158). Its outersurface 160 has a stepped profile 162 featuring two sections (e.g., adistal section 164 and a proximal section 166) defined by a dimension D₂(also a diameter for purposes of the cylindrical form factor) asmeasured from the longitudinal axis 154. In one implementation, thediameter D₂ of the distal section 164 is larger than the diameter D₂ ofthe proximal section 166. Apertures 168 and grooves 170 may populate thedistal section 164.

FIG. 4 depicts an elevation view of the cross-section of the side of theadapter body 150 of FIG. 3. The through-bore 152 may have a steppedinner surface 172 typical of variations in diameter along thelongitudinal axis 154. These variations may define a pair of distalcounterbores (e.g., a first counterbore 174 and a second counterbore176) that terminate at a first landing surface 178. An interior threadrelief 180 may interpose between the counterbores 174, 176. The innersurface 172 may also include a third or medial counterbore 182 ofsmaller diameter (than the counterbores 174, 176). The third counterbore182 may extend from the landing surface 178 to a second landing surface184. The stepped inner surface 172 may terminate at a fourth or proximalcounterbore 186 at the end of the adapter body 156 in the proximalsection 166. As also shown, the apertures 168 may be configured toextend through the material of the adapter body 150 to the through-bore152. These configurations may have a multi-diameter profile that reducesin size from the outer surface 160 toward the through-bore 152.

FIG. 5 depicts an elevation view of the cross-section from the side ofthe collar body 112 of FIG. 3. The through-bore 114 may have a steppedinner surface 188 of varying diameter along the longitudinal axis 116.This variable diameter may define a pair of counterbores (e.g., a firstcounterbore 190 and a second counterbore 192) at the ends 132, 134. Asalso shown, the apertures 136 may penetrate the material of the collarbody 112 to allow access to the through-bore 114.

FIG. 6 shows an elevation view of the side, cross-section of the sealedconnection device of FIG. 3 in assembled form. The sealing collar 104inserts into the through-bore 152 of the adapter body 150. Contactbetween the end 120 and the second landing surface 184 may set theappropriate position of the collar body 112 in the adapter body 150.When assembled, part of the first region 128 of the collar body 112 mayreside outside of the distal section 164 of the adapter body 150. Thisconfiguration may locate the first o-ring 140 outside of the adapterbody 150. The second region 130 of the collar body 112 residesextensibly in the distal section 164 of the adapter body 150. Thislocation orients the annular detent 134 in longitudinal alignment withthe apertures 168. The collar body 112 may orient so that the apertures136 align with the apertures 168 as well, but this is not necessary foroperation of the device. The location also places o-rings 142, 144 incontact with the adapter body 150 in the counterbores 176, 182. Thisfeature creates the sealed region 103 with fluid barriers (e.g., theo-rings 142, 144) on either side of the annular detent 134. In use,additive that migrates into the through-bore 114 (for example, becausethe radial seal 146 fails,) can exit through the aperture 136 to theannular detent 134. The additive can flow from there to the apertures168 in the annular body 150, which may couple with conduit to direct theadditive back into the pump 10 (FIG. 1). The sealed region 103 preventsfurther migration from the adapter body 150.

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of exemplary structure for the pump 10that includes the sealed connection device 100 of FIG. 3. The pumpstructure may utilize piece parts with appropriate fit and function. Theconcepts herein, however, may accommodate different variations of thisstructure because the pump 10 may operate across a wide range ofapplications that might nominally require changes, updates, andrevisions in the design. In this regard, the pump head 12 may have pumpbody 26 with a valve stem 28 and a pair of connectors (e.g., a firstconnector 30 and a second connector 32) disposed thereon. The connectors30, 32 may connect with the conduit 14 and the supply 18, respectively.The motive unit 22 may include a housing 34 that terminates at amounting plate 36. As shown, the sealed connection device 100 may beconfigured to interpose between the pump body 26 and the housing 34.This configuration may operate as an option on these types of devices,for example, for use with additives that might be caustic or hazardousmaterials. The option may outfit the pump 10 to address environmentalregulations or specifications that require “extra” containment measuresto prevent leaks of these materials. To accommodate, the sealedconnection device 100 may releasably engage with the body 26 and housing34. Threaded connections may benefit the device for this purpose so asto allow the pump body 26 and the housing 34 to thread onto or into theadapter body 150.

FIG. 8 depicts an elevation view of the side, cross-section of the pump10 of FIG. 7 to discuss such configurations. The proximal section 166 ofthe adapter body 150 may insert into the housing 34. Correspondingthreads on outer surface 160 may engage a threaded bore of the housing34 may be useful for this purpose. A nut 194 may thread onto theproximal section 166 of the adapter body 150. When tightened against thehousing 34, the nut 196 may operate to lock and prevent annular rotationof the adapter body 150 relative to the housing 34. At the pump head 12,the sealed interface 102 may receive a part 38 of the pump body 26 thatinserts into the first counter bore 174 of the adapter body 150. Thepart 38 may have an outer surface 40 that is threaded to mate withcomplimentary threads of the first counter bore 174. On the inside, thepart 38 may include a bore 42 that ends at a terminable face 44.Assembly of the device may require the part 38 to screw into the adapterbody 150 so as to cause the end 118 of the collar body 112 to contactthe terminable face 44. The threaded connection may cause a slightcompressive loading to “squeeze” the collar body 112 between theterminable face 44 (on the first end 118) and the second landing surface184 (on the second end 120). When assembled, the exposed portion of thecollar body 112 resides inside of the part 38 of the pump body 10. Thisconfiguration places the first o-ring 140 in contact with the bore 42 ofthe part 38.

In light of the foregoing, the embodiments are useful to re-circulateadditive from around the shaft in the elongate cylindrical body. Thisfeature can contain the additive within the device (or, generally, theadditive pump) to avoid leaks or spills so that the device aligns withenvironmental regulations or standards. Unlike conventional designs,though, the improvements herein simply construction. The elongatecylindrical body employs unitary construction to eliminate unnecessaryadditional parts. This construction also operates to seal directly withthe pump head, which is nominally not found in prior designs.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. An element or functionrecited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” shouldbe understood as not excluding plural said elements or functions, unlesssuch exclusion is explicitly recited. References to “one embodiment” ofthe claimed invention should not be interpreted as excluding theexistence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recitedfeatures. Furthermore, the claims are but some examples that define thepatentable scope of the invention. This scope may include andcontemplate other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Suchother examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if theyhave structural elements that do not differ from the literal language ofthe claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements withinsubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

Examples appear below that include certain elements or clauses one ormore of which may be combined with other elements and clauses describeembodiments contemplated within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An additive pump, comprising: a sealed connectiondevice comprising an adapter with a through bore having a longitudinalaxis, the through bore terminating at a distal opening in a distalsection and a proximal opening in a proximal section of the adapter,where the distal section of the adapter has an outer diameter that islarger than the outer diameter of the proximal section of the adapter asmeasured from the longitudinal axis, and a sealing collar that insertsinto the distal opening of the distal section and at least partiallyresides in the through bore of the adapter, the sealing collarcomprising a single, monolithic body with a bore forming open ends, ashoulder disposed between the open ends, an annular detent adjacent theshoulder, a plurality of annular grooves, with one annular groove of theplurality of annular grooves being disposed on the shoulder and twoother of the annular grooves of the plurality of annular grooves locatedon either side of the shoulder, and o-rings disposed in each of theannular grooves; a pumping mechanism coupled with the proximal sectionof the adapter, the pumping mechanism comprising a shaft that inserts inthe bore of the sealing collar; and a pump head inserted into the distalopening of the distal section of the adapter, wherein one of the o-ringsresides wholly outside of the through bore and to one side of the distalopening of the distal section of the adapter and contacts the pump head.2. The additive pump of claim 1, wherein two of the o-rings contact theadapter to form barriers of a sealed region on either side of theannular detent.
 3. The additive pump of claim 1, wherein the body of thesealing collar extends out of the distal opening of the distal sectionof the adapter and into the pump head.
 4. The additive pump of claim 1,wherein the adapter is threaded to engage with complimentary threads onthe pumping mechanism.
 5. The additive pump of claim 1, wherein theadapter is threaded to engage with the pump head.
 6. The additive pumpof claim 1, wherein the shaft extends through the body of the sealingcollar from the pumping mechanism.
 7. The additive pump of claim 1,further comprising: a nut coupled with the adapter, wherein the nutprevents annular rotation of the adapter relative to the housing.
 8. Theadditive pump of claim 1, wherein the pumping mechanism comprises amotive unit that causes the shaft to reciprocate in the pump head. 9.The additive pump of claim 1, wherein the pumping mechanism comprises anelectric motor.
 10. The additive pump of claim 1, wherein the pumpingmechanism comprises a pneumatic cylinder.
 11. The additive pump of claim1, further comprising: an aperture disposed in the annular detent. 12.The additive pump of claim 1, further comprising: one or more aperturesthat reside in the annular detent.
 13. The additive pump of claim 1,wherein the annular detent is between the shoulder and one of theplurality of annular grooves.
 14. The additive pump of claim 1, furthercomprising: apertures in the adapter that align with the annular detent.15. The additive pump of claim 1, further comprising: apertures in eachof the adapter and the annular detent on the sealing collar.
 16. Theadditive pump of claim 9, further comprising: apertures in the adapterthat align with apertures in the annular detent on the sealing collar.